43. Riley
It takesa couple more days for the guys to get things squared away enough in the organization that they finally feel comfortable bringing Chloe back from the safe house, and when they tell me it’s time, I can barely sit still.
Chloe must feel the same, because the moment we arrive, she barrels out of the house, tackling me almost before I make it out of the Escalade.
“Riley,” she squeals, hugging me tight enough to make the bruise from the bullet my vest took at McKenna’s place ache like a bitch.
I’ll take it. I’ll take anything to have her back with me again, and I squeeze her back just as hard, laughing as we both try to talk at once. We’ve kept in touch as much as it was safe to, but even though she’s up to speed on almost everything that’s happened to me—almost—I suddenly feel like there are a million things I need to share with her.
She’s the same way, and we could probably stay right here in the driveway giggling with each other all day—but then I catch sight of the indulgent smiles on my men’s faces as they bring her bags out of the house, which reminds me what we actually came for.
“Are you ready to come home?” I ask Chloe, tenderly running my hand down her hair.
It’s longer now, and the roots are all grown out.
She looks beautiful.
She grins. “Hell yeah, I am.” Then her smile falters a little, a bashful look coming over her face. “Um, let me just say goodbye?”
“Of course.”
Dante nudges my shoulder as Chloe runs back toward the house, giving me a conspiratorial look that I don’t get at all. “We asked Nathan to stay a few more days and handle some shit in the area for us. He’ll be back in Halston soon.”
“O…kay?” I say, trying to remember if they’ve mentioned what kind of business the Reapers have an interest in way out here. Then I see Chloe saying her goodbyes to Nathan and realize it’s not the business Dante was giving me a heads-up about.
It’s Nathan.
My eyes narrow, my sisterly instincts instantly going on high alert.
Nathan is a young, hard-looking guy I vaguely remember meeting when Chloe left, and have definitely heard a lot about while she’s been out here. Right now though, I’m picking up major vibes between them, and his badass, hard-eyed look has totally softened as he brushes something off her collar and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
I hold my tongue as they hug, and wait until we’re all piled back in the Escalade and on the road back to Halston to ask her about him. Maddoc’s driving with Logan in the passenger seat, and Dante dozes in the middle row, leaving Chloe and I to huddle together in the back.
“So,” I start. “Nathan?”
Chloe’s eyes widen, her cheeks turning cherry red. “Um, what?”
I raise an eyebrow. “What’s going on there?”
“He’s nice,” she says, suddenly extremely interested in the boring scenery out the window.
I laugh. “I doubt it. He’s a Reaper. He’s probably a ruthless gangster who’s tough as shit.”
Chloe turns back to me with a grin. “Okay, he totally is.” She looks down, twisting her hands together in her lap. “But he really is nice. I’ve… kind of got a thing for him.”
“Kind of?” I tease gently.
She peeks up at me. “Okay, I’ve got a huge thing for him. Oh my god, Riley! He’s the best.”
She starts to gush about all of his amazing qualities, and I do my best to keep my protective instincts in check. A part of me still sees her as the little girl I have to stand guard over, and that part wants to warn her away from getting involved with a dangerous man.
Because yes, Nathan’s young, and yes, I saw him being sweet with her. But I meant what I said. If he’s a Reaper, he’s dangerous… although even I have to admit that that doesn’t mean he’s dangerous to my sister. That kind of thinking would be hypocritical of me, given that one of my own men has killed for me, and any one of them would do it again if they had to.
There are a lot better ways to judge someone’s character than just whether or not they’re a criminal, so it’s easy to be sincere when Chloe finally winds down her glowing list of Nathan’s best attributes and I tell her that I’m happy for her.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t kick his ass if he hurts you,” I warn her, meaning every word of it.
Chloe grins, her eyes shining. “I know. God, it’s so good to have you back.”
“You mean, to have you back,” I tease her. “You’re the one who was tucked away in the safe house.”
Her expression turns serious. “I didn’t like being separated, but I understand why you wanted me to go.” She grabs both my hands, squeezing them tight. “Just… don’t do it again, okay? I want us to be together. It’s one thing to hear about all your news secondhand, but I want to be there. I want us to have a life together.”
My throat closes up, and I squeeze her back. “I do too.”
Although I can’t say I’m sorry she wasn’t with me for everything that went down when she was gone. But that’s over now, and with my new position… well, like Ayla said, with great responsibility will come great power, and I’ll use every fucking bit of it to give Chloe the life I’ve always promised her. Chloe and my men.
Which reminds me, “There is one thing I haven’t had a chance to tell you about yet.”
“Yeah?” she asks, going a little tense. “Please tell me it’s not more bad news.”
“No, nothing like that.” I hesitate, then just blurt it out. “I’ve been asked to be part of the group who oversee Halston’s criminal underground. The Six.”
“The Six?” Chloe’s eyes go wide. “Um, I’ve heard of them. From Nathan. Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
I bring her up to speed on the details of their offer and why they made it, and she gets a thoughtful look on her face after the shock drains away.
“It fits, you know.”
“What?” I laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, right. I’m sure you always thought your stripper sister would end up ruling over the local gangs I always warned you away from.”
“No, I’m serious. You’re not my stripper sister. You’re my badass sister. The one who’s always been there to save me. To fight for me.” She blinks fast, then scrubs at her eyes when they start to spill over. “Dammit, I love you, Riley. I’ve always believed in you. And yeah, it does fit. I always knew you were destined for something way bigger than just shaking your ass in front of a bunch of leches to pay our rent.”
“Thanks,” I say, my throat tight. I clear it, then give her hair a playful tug. “And you know it wasn’t just to pay our rent. I had to keep us looking good, so what the hell is this all about?”
Chloe laughs, then flicks her hair over her shoulder with some of the sass I remember from before life shit on her so hard. It warms my heart to see it. “Well, Nathan did offer to help touch up my roots, but I didn’t trust him not to over bleach them. You remember what happened when we were living over that deli.”
“Oh god, don’t remind me.”
We both laugh, then Chloe suddenly lights up. “Hey, does this shit with The Six mean we get to stay in Halston now? For good?”
“Yes, if you want to,” I say cautiously, not sure how I’ll handle it if she still has dreams of starting over in a new city.
Her squeal and the enthusiastic hug I get kill those worries before they can take hold. “I definitely do.”
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Nathan coming back to Halston soon, would it?” I tease her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lies, flipping her hair again and then grinning at me.
Happiness fills my heart to overflowing. This wasn’t the future I fought for so many years to give my little sister, but it’s still exactly what I’ve always wanted for her.
She’s safe, she’s secure, and she’s happy. Truly happy. And finally being able to provide that for her is worth all of it.
The next fewweeks go by in a bit of a blur, and by the time I attend my first meeting as part of The Six, I’m feeling a lot more confident about my right to be there. Maddoc, Logan, and Dante have been educating me about all things Reaper-related, and I feel much more knowledgeable about the world I’ve stepped into.
The few nerves I do still carry into the meeting with me smooth out pretty quickly, because for all the power they wield, The Six are just people. People who it turns out I really like.
At first, it’s a bit strange to see them outside the formal setting of their headquarters at Saraven. The meeting is actually held in the house that Ayla shares with Marcus, Theo, and Ryland, and seeing them in a more comfortable setting makes the love between the four of them even more obvious.
I can relate. The relationship with my own men gets deeper, better, every single day.
“Have you successfully reclaimed your entire estate now?” Marcus asks me before we get down to official business.
“Yes,” I say with a vengeful surge of satisfaction.
I’m Austin’s widow, and since that fucker forced me to marry him, I haven’t just reclaimed my inheritance. I’ve exercised my right as his legal heir to all his assets.
“And the status of the new territorial borders?” Theo asks, slinging his arm around Ayla’s shoulders as he takes a seat next to her on one of their plush couches. “Have the Reapers gotten those straightened out?”
I nod. “We’ll be taking most of the former West Point territory. The small contingent of holdouts who wanted to continue operations for the organization have realized how difficult that would be without resources, and agreed to stand down.”
“We had a report from Wolf Mathis that some of that last group swore fealty to him.”
“That’s right,” I confirm. “And Maddoc is making a point to keep strong alliances with Mathis and all of the other gangs whose territory used to share borders with West Point, so that they all know the Reapers aren’t gunning for their territory too.”
“All the other gangs?” Marcus chides me gently.
I grimace. “You heard about the Scorpions.”
“We heard that when they attacked, thinking the Reapers would be too disorganized to protect what was theirs, they tried to claim it was a defensive move when you tried to expand into their territory.”
“They lied,” I say flatly.
All six of them give me shark-like smiles, but it’s Ayla who speaks. “We know. And the thorough way the Reapers put down their aggression sends a clear message to any other organization who might be thinking the same thing.”
I bite back a grin. “I thought The Six didn’t take sides.”
She gives me an innocent look belied by the steel in her eyes. “We don’t. We simply maintain order. And the support we’re providing for the orderly expansion of Reaper territory is part of that. A smooth transition of power allows us all to profit.”
“And on that note, let’s get down to business,” Theo says, leaning forward. “There have been some city zoning changes in the warehouse district that are putting certain operations at risk.”
I listen intently, learning all I can as they efficiently go through their agenda. They’re incredibly organized, ruthless and intelligent, and while I’m definitely a little bit out of my depth, they don’t treat me that way.
Even better, I’m able to contribute a little bit here and there, which gives me the confidence that I won’t feel that way forever. The more time I spend with The Six, the more my new role does feel like a good fit, just like Chloe said. It’s just one that, like a good pair of heels, I’ll have to break in a little before I’m completely comfortable in.
“Riley, a minute?” Ayla calls out to me when the meeting breaks up. I’ve already said my goodbyes and am more than ready to head back to my men, but I wait for her to catch up to me, silently admiring the red roses inked onto her arm above her prosthesis.
They’re Dante’s favorite color, and they make me want more ink of my own.
“What’s that smile for?” she asks once she reaches me, a knowing gleam in her eye. “One of them in particular, or all of them at once?”
“What?”
She laughs. “Never mind. Although, I’d be happy to have those kinds of conversations over some good whiskey someday. Right now, I just wanted to check in with you. See if there’s anything I can do to help you settle into… all this.”
“Being part of The Six?”
“Sure, that too. But really, I just meant all of it. You’re taking to your role with us like a duck to water, but I know how overwhelming it can feel when you really start to understand everything happening behind the scenes with these organizations.”
I nod. “It’s like a whole second city overlaid on the Halston I grew up with.”
“Exactly.”
We share a look that makes me think we’re going to be more than just peers someday. I can really see us becoming friends.
“Thank you,” I tell her for now, looking forward to that. “I’ll take you up on that. And I appreciate it.”
She gives my shoulder a friendly squeeze, then goes back into the house, and I head home.
Maddoc is on the couch down in the living room when I get back, going over some reports that have him frowning. I glance down at them and recognize them for what they are—important, but not urgent—so I tug them out of his hand and toss them onto the coffee table, then curl up on his lap.
He grins at me. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks for waiting up for me,” I tease, knowing that’s not what he was doing.
He runs his fingers through my hair, letting the colorful strands curl around his wrist. “I’ll always wait for you.”
“Sweet talker.” It touches me though, because I know it’s true. “Tell me about your day.”
He does, making me laugh a few times before he cups my face and gives me a serious look. “Shit is going so well for the organization right now that recruitment is up. With that and the new territory we’ve claimed, it’s…” He pauses, his voice taking on an emotional rasp. “It’s what I’ve been working toward, butterfly. What I’ve dreamed of. And you being part of The Six now is only helping that.”
“Are you thanking me?” I ask, feeling emotional myself. “Because you know you never have to do that. Everything I do, I do for us. For the Reapers. For my family.”
“I’m telling you I’m proud of you. I’m so fucking proud of you, Riley Sutton.”
I kiss him. I have to. And then I can’t resist saying, “How about we make that Riley Gray? Marry me, Maddoc.”
He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re stubborn as fuck.”
I narrow my eyes, because him calling me stubborn is definitely the pot calling the kettle black. “You’re worth it.”
It’s not the first time I’ve posed the question to him, and even though he won’t admit it, I can tell I’m slowly wearing him down.
I should be. I’ve been asking him nearly every damn day.
Today isn’t the day he’s going to say yes, though. I can already tell. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to admit it. Especially not when it’s so much fun to push him a little.
“I guess I’ll just have to be more persuasive then.”
I let my hand slide down his chest and over his abs, then cup his bulge.
Heat burns in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
He knows exactly what I mean, but just in case there’s any doubt, I slide off his lap, going to my knees between his legs, and press a hot, open-mouthed kiss over the outline of his shaft.
Maddoc groans, the sound sending a frisson of hot need through me.
I look up at him through my lashes, dragging my nails up the growing outline of his erection to toy with his zipper. “I mean that I love you. It’s why I want to marry you. Are you going to let me make my case here?”
He cups the back of my head, giving me a filthy smile. “I’ll let you do anything, butterfly. You know that. But it’s gonna be pretty hard to talk about this while you’re choking on my cock.”
“Try me,” I dare him, knowing I’ve already won.
Not about marriage. Not yet. But when it comes to being persuasive, who ever said anything about talking?
Sometimes, actions really do speak louder than words.
And this is definitely one of those times.